Summary
The meetings of the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions concluded on Friday. In the morning, the high-level segment continued. Tim Kasten, UN Environment, reported from ministers roundtable discussions on the theme “A Future Detoxified: the Sound Management of Chemicals and Wastes.” Ministers, Vice-Ministers and Ambassadors then engaged in an interactive discussion.
In the afternoon, the COPs adopted their outstanding decisions. Basel Convention COP13 President Mohammed Khashashneh noted that May 5, 2017 is the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Basel Convention. Closing the meeting, BRS Executive Secretary Rolph Payet and Rotterdam Convention Executive Secretary – Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO) Bill Murray thanked delegates for their diligence and efforts to realize cooperation.
The Basel Convention COP 13 gaveled to a close at 6:35 pm. The Rotterdam Convention COP 8 gaveled to a close at 6:39 pm. The Stockholm Convention COP 8 gaveled to a close at 6:40 pm.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided digital coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the 2017 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth
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High-Level Segment
Delegates gather in plenary for the High-Level Segment
Tim Kasten, Deputy Director, Economy Division, UN Environment
Moderator Juliette Foster, Broadcaster and Journalist
Marc Chardonnens, Director, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland
Ministerial Panel during the High-Level Segment
Oppah Chamu Muchinguri, Minister of Environment, Water and Climate, Zimbabwe
Khaled Fahmy, Minister of Environment, Egypt
Carole Dieschbourg, Minister for the Environment, Luxembourg
Rosalie Matondo, Minister of Forest Economy, Sustainable Development and Environment, Republic of the Congo
Singappuli Premajayantha, Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy, Sri Lanka
Noel Holder, Minister of Agriculture, Guyana
Sydney Samuels, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Guatemala
Arlette Sombo-Dibele, Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, Water, Forests, Hunting and Fishing, Central African Republic
Etienne Didier Dogley, Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Seychelles
Sundus Omar Ali, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iraq
Marcos Alegre, Vice Minister of Environmental Management, Peru
Kare Chawicha Debessa, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Ethiopia
Walter Garcia, Minister of Environment, Ecuador
Nestor Batio Bassiere, Minister of Environment, Green Economy and Climate Change, Burkina Faso
Adalah Atteereh, Chairman, Environment Quality Authority, Palestine
Mehmet Ceylan, Deputy Minister of Environment and Urbanization, Turkey
Santiago Francisco Engonga Esono, Secretary of State, Ministry of Forests and the Environment, Equatorial Guinea
Per Änquist, Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Sweden
Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, BRS Conventions
Closing Plenary
COP Presidents and BRS Secretariat consult before the start of the closing plenary
Sam Adu-Kumi, Stockholm Convention COP 8 President
Franz Perrez, Rotterdam Convention COP 8 President
Mohammed Khashashneh, Basel Convention COP 13 President
Delegates applaud the election of the new bureau
Final negotiations take place among the Co-Chairs of the Contact Group on Technical Assistance and Financial Resources, the EU, Egypt, and India
Fredrick Mupoti Sikabongo, Namibia
Anne Daniel, Canada
Mohsen Naziriasl, Iran
Iftikhar-ul-Hassan Gilani, Pakistan
Lemnyuy Albun William Banye, Cameroon
Francisco Fabian Saez, Argentina, speaking on behalf of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC)
Felix Wertli, Switzerland
Serge Molly Allo'o Allo'o, Gabon, speaking on behalf of the African Group
Pamela Miller, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN)
James Mulolo, Basel Convention Regional Centre (BCRC)-South Africa
Sarojeni Rengam, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Asia and the Pacific
Bill Murray, Executive Secretary, Rotterdam Convention - Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO)
Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, BRS Conventions
BRS COPs family photo
Around the Venue
Delegates from Cambodia
Delegates from the Marshall Islands
Delegates from Saudi Arabia with Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources
Delegates from Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Delegates from Australia
Delegates from Argentina
Nestor Batio Bassiere, Minister of Environment, Green Economy and Climate Change, Burkina Faso, speaks with delegates
Osvaldo Patricio Álvarez Pérez, Chile, incoming Rotterdam Convention COP 9 President, with Bill Murray, Executive Secretary, Rotterdam Convention - FAO
Mahamat Djimadingar, Chad
Mohammed Khashashneh, Basel Convention COP 13 President, conducts an interview
Shankar Prasad, Nepal
Delegates between sessions
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering the meeting (L-R): Annelies van Gaalen, South Africa; Tallash Kantai, Kenya; Jessica Templeton, US/UK; Yixian Sun, China; Jen Allan, Canada; Jonelle Jones, Trinidad and Tobago; and Kiara Worth, South Africa
